The hour of sleep lost by pushing the clocks ahead Sunday will hit some folks harder than others, but if getting enough good sleep is a regular problem, you could be one of a growing number of Americans afflicted with a sleep disorder.

In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called insufficient sleep an epidemic and said it leads to motor vehicle accidents and workplace mishaps. It can even cause other very serious medical conditions, which in some cases can be life-threatening.

To draw attention to the issue, the National Sleep Foundation designates the week before the spring time change associated with Daylight Saving Time as Sleep Awareness Week.

The foundation offers tips on better sleep habits and suggests ways to improve sleep, including using Daylight Saving Time as a starting point for resetting sleep patterns as well as clocks.

Those who treat sleep disorders said the technological advances society enjoys may be contributing to sleep issues such as insomnia, and the things people do to cure the problems may just be making them worse.

Going back to the early days of the light bulb, technology has been affecting our sleep. These days it's the gadgets we can't live without that are keeping us up.

"If you don't fall asleep in 20 minutes, get up and go into another room, but don't go on your computer, or iPad or cellphone," said Dr. Stacia Sailer, director of the sleep disorders center at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

Reading a book, but not on a tablet, might be a better way to relax. The reason is that the backlighted screens on devices, like other forms of light, can suppress melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep. Exposure to light shortly before sleeping can cause insomnia. Light plays a major role in setting a person's circadian rhythms, a physiological process that, in part, regulates sleep patterns. Circadian rhythm also sets eating patterns and other functions in many species.

Because we can have light when it's dark, the world runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and people don't have regular sleep schedules, Dr. Sailer said.

"Twenty-five percent of the work force work a nontraditional schedule," she said. "You can get tech support at 3 in the morning."

Drinking alcohol or consuming caffeine after noontime can also contribute to sleeplessness.

For those who have problems sleeping and fear they could be sleep-deprived, Dr. Sailer recommends an experiment that can help determine how much sleep an individual needs.

"For a week, go to sleep when you're sleepy. Don't set the alarm clock," she said. "If people need an alarm clock to wake up, they're not getting enough sleep."

About 95 percent of people need between four and nine hours of sleep, Dr. Sailer said, adding that knowing how much one needs and getting that amount every night is crucial.

When Sutton native Jeannine Harding, a graduate of the nursing program at Quinsigamond Community College, first realized she was feeling tired more than she ought to, she went to the Sleep Disorders Center. Initially, during treatment there, the 50-year-old began going to bed at the same time each night.

"And it did help," she said. But a sleep study also revealed she had one of the more common disorders: Sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person stops breathing during sleep.

She was outfitted with a CPAP machine that she wears at night, and though it's sometimes uncomfortable, she's noticed a big difference.

"It takes anywhere from a month to two months (after getting the CPAP) to get to where you're getting enough sleep," she said. "But after that I felt well-rested. It was a life-changing experience for me."

Dr. Sailer said often a wife will be treated for sleep apnea and soon after, her husband notices how much better she feels and shows up for treatment as well.

For Mrs. Harding, it was the opposite; her husband was treated first. The couple has adapted to the apnea treatment, which, Mrs. Harding said, is like having any other medical problem. She said she is glad she's addressing it because untreated apnea can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure and other problems.

"It becomes part of your routine, like having diabetes. This is what you need to do to maintain your quality of life," she said. "You have to keep the machine really clean, and you really have to understand that it's a medical condition."

While many believe that apnea is something that happens to overweight people, Mrs. Harding said it can be found in all kinds of people. She is 5-feet-6-inches tall and wears a size six.

"I was shocked when I had it," she said. "When I go to the doctor, I see a lot of little kids getting tested. It can affect anybody."

While apnea is likely the most well-known sleep problem, there are more than 100 sleep disorders that range from mild issues to much more serious concerns.

Dr. Sailer said she sees patients with restless legs syndrome, a disorder in which the patient feels a sensation like bugs crawling on their legs. They often kick during the night and can't get a restful sleep.

She also treats narcolepsy, in which patients have uncontrollable bouts of sleep. Other patients suffer from REM behavior disorder, in which they physically act out their dreams.

"Normally when you dream, you're paralyzed except for the rapid eye movement, but in this case people can get up and act out their dreams," she said, adding that sometimes people will eat, clean or do other tasks that they don't recall doing when they awaken later.

Many times medications, such as those taken for depression, can affect sleep, causing insomnia or other problems. Often a person who takes medication and has trouble sleeping can find relief by working with a doctor to determine a better time of day to take their pills, Dr. Sailer said.

For those who believe they have a sleep disorder, treatment is available. Although it might involve some wrangling with an insurance company to get it paid for, Mrs. Howard said, the rewards of a good night's sleep are worth the cost.

Contact Kim Ring at kring@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimmring.